When I rewatched my YouTube video, I was so sad that I missed the opportunity to say that THAT was the reason the kabocha has become so popular in the keto community. It’s delicious. That’s why. All the other stuff I said is true, but so much further down on the list. Good job, Jihae. SMH
Kabocha is a magical squash. It has that beautiful, starchy mouthfeel of a potato that we all miss so much, the flavor of a mild sweet potato, and absolutely worth all 4g net carbs per half cup and a great source of vitamins A and C, iron, calcium and both potassium and magnesium which are both really essential to those of us on a ketogenic diet.
This gorgeous creamy whipped avocado crema pairs perfectly with your favorite protein, as a dip for your favorite veggies, and is perfect even as a salad dressing. It is rich, yet bright, spicy, and full of only whole food ingredients. Light and dreamy and the perfect healthy addition to any savory meal.
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This rice is recommended for fried rice application only! It can be used in bibimbap, but only with a medium-hard egg fried egg.
I’ve been hesitant to release this recipe because I’m not positive this is the very best substitute for rice, but when I thought about how happy people are with cauliflower rice, which, in my not-so-humble opinion only looks like rice, I felt like this could make some people happy too and had to share.
I will tell you– it is not a perfect glass noodle or dangmyun (당면: sweet potato starch noodle) sub like keto glass noodles, but it has made me and Tohte (and now many others on Instagram) very happy in certain applications. To be quite honest, I haven’t missed rice very much since starting my keto journey, but once in a while I do miss certain dishes that just cannot be made without rice. Dishes such as kimchi bokkeumbap (김치볶음밥: kimchi fried rice) and bibimbap… after all, bap is the Korean word for rice.
Keto multigrain rice is not soft and fluffy like white rice, but more like the multigrain purple rice, which is more texturally complex. Some bits of my keto multigrain rice have a bit of a “husk” or shell like brown rice and is also a bit sticky and slippery. The taste is mild– earthy and grainy.
Let’s begin! Gather all of the ingredients, place the oven rack on the third shelf from the top and set your broiler to 500°F.
In a large mixing bowl, add the Vital Proteins Gelatin and boiling water, whisk to dissolve. Allow to bloom for five minutes.
Add the hemp hearts and chia seeds. Whisk until chia seeds are evenly distributed throughout the mixture. Let the mixture sit for 30min-overnight. This should thicken and become viscous.
Spread and flatten this mixture on a silicone baking mat on a cookie sheet to about 0.5cm.
Place on the third rack under the broiler for five minutes.
Remove and “fluff” the “rice”– mix it up a bit and flatten again.
Place under the broiler for another five minutes. If you love nureungji (누릉지: scorched rice), leave it for an extra minute or two– the nureungji is nutty and on point.
It’s now ready to be used in rice dishes! This should yield about one cup of rice, but I believe because of its satiating macronutrient profile, I always eat much less than I would have actual rice.
Ideas on how to use them: So far I have used keto multigrain rice in kimchi fried rice, bibimbap and sushi rolls. It worked really well for kimchi fried rice and bibimbap. Tohte and I both agreed that it was decent for sushi rolls, but we preferred to eat our sushi as hand rolls sans rice substitute. I have yet to try, but I’m quite certain this combination would work perfectly for all different rice porridge recipes (juk, jok, congee, chao, etc.).
If you’ve been missing glass noodles on a ketogenic diet, you are going to love this!
I’d love to thank Yvonne Lau for generously sharing her findings. My heart and belly deeply appreciate you!!
Okay, let’s get to it!
Ingredients kelp noodles lemon or lime baking soda water
Tools pot strainer spatula
Jihae Kwon is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
This is an incredibly easy “recipe” if we can even call it that. In a pot, add the kelp noodles and enough water to cover the kelp noodles and bring to a boil. Roll, slice and squeeze in the juice of a lemon or lime and add some baking soda to your water– this is not a temperamental recipe so I never measure anything, but for every one pound package of kelp noodles, I’ve used about 1-1.5 lemons or limes depending on how juicy they are and I dumped from the box about two to three tablespoons of baking soda. From my experience, it takes a good 10-15 minutes for the noodles to soften to the consistency of glass noodles and they will soften indefinitely to mush if you let them so keep an eye on them! Some brands may need more time or baking soda and lemon– if they aren’t softening add more and keep stirring. Test a strand or two and the texture should be true to glass noodles. When they’ve reached the desired texture, pour them in to a strainer and run some cool water over them to stop any residual heat from cooking the noodles any longer. And you’re done! How easy is that?!
Where to find them: I’ve been able to find kelp noodles consistently at Whole Foods and on Amazon under the Sea Tangle Noodle Company brand.
I’ve also found them at H-mart (Korean grocer) under the same company, with different branding and a cheaper price! If you don’t have an H-mart or Whole Foods near you, call your nearest Korean grocer and ask if they carry kelp noodles, if they say no, try asking if they carry “Chun-Sah-Cheh” (Chun likeChun-Li from Street Fighter, Sah like “mama say mama sa mamakusa” from the Michael Jackson (RIP to the GOAT) or Rihanna Song, and Cheh like the word “Check” cut short without the “ck”.) This is the Korean word for Kelp Noodles. If you are physically in the store you can show them this: 천사채 or the picture if communication is difficult.
I think have spotted them at a Fred Meyer (Krogers) in a more diverse neighborhood, but not in my rural neighborhood’s Fred Meyer, so it might be worth it to give them a call before you jump in your car.
Health benefits: I don’t know the effects on the nutrients when cooking kelp noodles this way, it could be positive, negative or neutral, but kelp noodles in general are an incredibly mineral and nutrient-dense ingredient. With 10 times the amount of calcium of milk for good bones, teeth, muscles and hormone function, iodine for thyroid health which regulates your metabolism and 0 net carbs (1g total carbohydrates – 1g of dietary fiber) kelp noodles are a health conscious foodie’s dream ingredient. It also includes vitamins A, B1, B2, C, D and E and minerals including zinc, magnesium, iron, potassium, copper and calcium. Eat this. Eat as much as you want and feel so good about it!
Ideas on how to use them: So far I have used them in laksa, sullungtang, kimchi jjigae, and pad soon sen and have been beyond pleased with the results. I plan to incorporate them in yum woon sen, jap chae, and goong ob woon sen. Basically any slippery noodle dish! Hell, maybe even Bún bò Huế and hủ tiếu. Mm.. it’s been too long since I’ve had those.
